New Tax rules kick in 2013-14 season, next year but the two year penalty cushion began this past season so to avoid being over for 2 years in a row and getting really hammered the Lakers need to get down ASAP.

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Originally Posted by Lakers_Kobe_Fan

Mitch & lakers have always mentioned that they will pay the luxury tax if the team is worth it and winning chips...so I dont buy that they are trying to get under the cap before 2014

That's when it was dollar for dollar. This past seasons 17 million dollar tax bill using new rules would be 61 million. So yeah in the past it was easy to say lets drop 20 million in taxes but not anymore, even teams like the Lakers won't be swallowing that pill. You can justify 20 million as a business man if it's going to make you an extra 50 million, but no business man worth his salt is going to spend 60 to make 50. Even at a dollar for dollar, all the rules that restrict player movement for tax paying teams makes it even dumber to be a tax paying team. There's no reason to do it now there's not one positive thing that comes from it.

And lets not forget the revenue sharing, that has quadrupled, Lakers could be looking at a 70 million dollar bill on revenue sharing alone. Between taxes and revenue sharing the Lakers could be close to writing a 130 million dollar check out to the NBA at the end of next season.